Research Fellowship

The goal of the University of Iowa Department of Family Medicine Research Fellowship is to develop high-quality research skills in family physicians so that they can develop and create research projects that align with interests of family medicine physicians.

The Department of Family Medicine is recognized nationally for excellence in patient care, teaching, and research. The department is dedicated to providing primary care for the citizens of Iowa, educating medical students, training resident physicians, providing continuing education, and creating new knowledge to improve primary care and health care delivery systems. Research fellows will have access to a nationally recognized practice-based research network (PBRN) of family physicians across the state of Iowa, the Iowa Research Network (IRENE). In addition to acquiring research skills, fellows will spend part of their time in clinical care and teaching at the University of Iowa Family Medicine Clinic, or at one of the nearby University of Iowa clinics. The Department's main campus will be the principle site of the research fellowship training.

About the Program

The Department of Family Medicine at the University of Iowa offers a non-accredited ACGME research fellowship of one to two years. This will prepare an individual for a career as a family medicine researcher. To be eligible, the applicant must be board-certified or board-eligible in Family Medicine. This means the applicant must be in their final year of a Family Medicine or Family Medicine/Psychiatry program or a board-certified practicing family physician who desires to develop research skills and who is committed to research.

A research fellow has two options: a 1-year or 2-year program in the Department of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health. The 1-year program allows a fellow to obtain a certificate in Translational Science and Clinical Investigation. The 2-year program allows a fellow to obtain their Master's in Clinical Investigation.

Graduates of the program will be equipped to function as family medicine researchers, clinical providers, and educators in Family Medicine. Our goal is to train board-certified family medicine physicians in conducting research relevant to the specialty of family medicine.

Research

• Fellows will spend a minimum of 50% of their time on faculty development, including coursework and research activities to prepare them for clinical research in family medicine.
• Fellows will be expected to develop and complete a research project relevant to family medicine.
• The Department has close ties with research faculty in other Colleges, including Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry.
• They will participate with other fellows in other medical disciplines in the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science program, which includes fellows from a variety of disciplines.
• Coursework includes epidemiology, biostatistics, research ethics, academic survival skills, grant writing, and other seminars.
• Fellows will choose a research mentor or mentors (at least one mentor in the Department of Family Medicine) who will help guide them in their research project.
• Fellows will also be expected to write and submit a grant proposal by the conclusion of the program.

Clinical Care

• Research fellows will spend the remainder of their time in clinical care and teaching at the University of Iowa Family Medicine Clinic or at one of the nearby University of Iowa Community Clinics.
• Opportunities exist to participate in our obstetrics/newborn or medical inpatient services.
• Fellows will take night call in rotation.

Academic Curriculum

• For more information about the academic programs, please go to: https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/epi/.
• The two main programs of interest to family physicians would be the MS in Clinical Investigation (https:ljwww.public-health.uiowa.edu/ms­clinical-investigationO and the Certificate in Translational and Clinical Investigation (https:ljwww.publ ic-healt h. uiow a.edu /certificate-in­translational-and-clinicaI-investigation.
• Applicants must be accepted by the Graduate College in the College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.

Quick Facts

• The Iowa Research Network (I RENE) is a primary care practice-based research network (pbrn) that was established in 2001. The work of IRENE depends on a close collaboration of community-based primary care physicians and academic primary care physicians at University of Iowa. Current membership includes 310 physicians in 188 offices in 75 of Iowa's 99 counties.
• We collaborate with Meta-LARC (Meta-Network Learning and Research Center), a group of 7 PBRNs across the United States and Canada.
• Two fellows per year

Benefits

• Stipends and benefits are at the standard PGY level for the University of Iowa Health Care. For the 2020-21 year, PGY-4 salary is $64,500 and for PGY-5, it is $66,600.
• Fellows will be eligible for medical benefits and tuition/fees.
• It is generally anticipated that fellows will begin July 1, August 15 (or slightly before the start of the fall semester), or January 15.

Our Goals and Objectives for Training

The overall goal of this program is to train board-eligible or board­certified family medicine physicians in conducting research relevant to the specialty of family medicine. This includes all steps of the research process from developing a research question, conducting a literature search, planning a study, obtaining IRB approval, executing a study, and writing results for publication. Fellows will also be taking classes in grant writing and will be expected to have a grant submitted by the conclusion of the fellowship. Fellows will develop skills to become a productive and successful family medicine researcher.

By the conclusion of the program, it is expected that trainees will have the skills to develop their own collaborative research program.

Curriculum

Sample Weekly Schedule

Below is a sample weekly schedule for a research fellow. Please note that schedules change each semester to tailor the coursework to the needs of the individual learner.

How to Apply

• Applicants must be board-eligible or board-certified in Family Medicine.
• All applicants must be eligible to obtain a Permanent License to practice medicine in the state of Iowa.
• Applicants should contact Dr. Levy (below) and apply to the Department of Epidemiology graduate program.

Financial Support Plan

Our Faculty

David Bedell. MD. Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine

Katherine L. lmborek MD. Director of Off site Primary Care, Vice Chair of Clinical Operations, Co-Director of UIHC Lesbian Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Clinic, Medical Director UI QuickCare, Medical Director of Influenza Like illness (ILi) Telemedicine and Respiratory Clinic, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine

Barcey Levy. MD. PhD. Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Endowed Chair in Rural Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine

Britt Marcussen. MD. Program Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, Clinician Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

Jeffrey D. Quinlan. MD. FAAFP. Chair & DEO, Donald J. and Anna M. Ottlie Chair in Family Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine

General Internal Medicine

Richard Hoffman, MD

Epidemiology

Mary Charlton. Associate Professor

Elizabeth Chrischilles. Professor and Head Department of Epidemiology, Pomerantz Chair in Public Health, Director of Health Effectiveness Research Center

Linda Snetselaar. Professor and Chair of Preventive Nutrition Education, Director of Nutrition Center

Community and Behavioral Health

Edith A. Parker. Dean, Professor of Community and Behavioral Health, Professor of Public Policy Center, Office of the Vice President for Research

William T. Story. Assistant Professor

Paul Gilbert PhD ScM Assistant Professor

Mark Vander Weg. Professor and Head

Pharmacy

Michael Ernst, PharmD, FCCP, BCGP Clinical Professor Secondary Appointment Department of Family Medicine, Clinical Professor of Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science / Division of Applied Clinical Sciences

Korey Kennelty. PharmD. MS. PhD. BCGP. Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science / Division of Health Services Research

Contact Us

Barcey Levy, PhD, MD

Research Fellowship Director
319-384-7622
barcev-levv@uiowa.edu

Jeanette Daly, RN, PhD

Research Fellowship Coordinator
319-384-8995
jeanette-daly@iowa.edu